Yesterday was all about preparing for the dreaded bedtime routine (or non-routine) and my planning paid off because... we all got more sleep last night!
After receiving lots of suggestions from women in my ward who responded to my desperate plea for help, I decided to take her mattress out of the crib and put it on the floor. I set it up like a real bed and gave her a pillow. When she saw it, she called it her big bed and couldn't stop jumping on it. Who knew a mattress on the floor could bring a kid so much joy! I also got a door knob cover for the inside of her bedroom, so that she would have to stay in her room when she got up out of bed.
We then spent the evening over at my sister's house, hanging out with the cousins. Jen (10) and Sam (8) made a big deal about their "big girl beds" and let Londyn climb in them and lay on them. Just what she needed!
When we got home, it was 7:30pm and the fun began! I started with a sippy cup of milk with 1.5 mg of Melatonin. Then it was time for jammies, books, prayers and songs. Londyn laid on her makeshift bed the entire time and even fell asleep while I was singing. I then slowly got up and tiptoed out of her room. The minute I had the door closed, I heard tiny footsteps to the door. Then, the wriggling of the doorknob. Once she realized she couldn't open it anymore, the crying began. She kept saying "Open door! Open door!" My heart started to break... but I stuck to my guns and went downstairs to do the dishes. By the time I was finished... there was silence. I snuck upstairs and stood outside of her room. I could hear her breathing on the other side of the door, so I know she fell asleep on the floor... but hey, she fell asleep! What a relief! To top it off? She slept until 8:15am! When I opened the door to get her, she jumped on her bed and said, "Big girl bed... like Jen and Sam!"
Our little girl is growing up way too fast!
Now that we know Londyn is ready for a big girl bed, Andrew converted her crib into a daybed and she is stoked! I know we've still got a long way to go in the bedtime department, but this little bit of progress gives us hope!
No comments:
Post a Comment